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Pakistani passenger jet crashes near Karachi airport

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane traveling from Lahore to Karachi has crashed close to Karachi airport. All but two of the 99 people on board were killed, according to the Health Ministry.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Crash moments before landing

The plane, operated by Pakistan International Airline (PIA), crashed during the last minute of the flight as the plane was about to land at Jinnah International Airport. Witnesses said they saw the plane circling around the airport before coming down.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

A busy period

The crash happened on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid, when Pakistanis traditionally travel to visit relatives. At least two hospitals received bodies and were also treating about a dozen injured people, most hit by wreckage in houses on the ground.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Search for 'black boxes'

A search immediately began for the two flight recorders, one for cockpit conversations and the other for data, which could provide vital clues. Aviation safety experts say air crashes typically have multiple causes, and that it is too early to understand them within the first hours or days.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Search for survivors

Residents near the scene said their walls shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into their neighbourhood. Plumes of smoke were sent into the air as rescue workers and residents searched the debris for survivors and firefighters tried to extinguish the flames.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Casualties to be confirmed

The plane was carrying 98 people when it crashed in a corwded neighborhood. Officials said there were at least two survivors and it was unknown how many people on the ground were hurt, with at least five houses destroyed.

Author: Rob Turner

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Crash moments before landing

The plane, operated by Pakistan International Airline (PIA), crashed during the last minute of the flight as the plane was about to land at Jinnah International Airport. Witnesses said they saw the plane circling around the airport before coming down.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

A busy period

The crash happened on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid, when Pakistanis traditionally travel to visit relatives. At least two hospitals received bodies and were also treating about a dozen injured people, most hit by wreckage in houses on the ground.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Search for 'black boxes'

A search immediately began for the two flight recorders, one for cockpit conversations and the other for data, which could provide vital clues. Aviation safety experts say air crashes typically have multiple causes, and that it is too early to understand them within the first hours or days.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Search for survivors

Residents near the scene said their walls shook before a big explosion erupted as the aircraft slammed into their neighbourhood. Plumes of smoke were sent into the air as rescue workers and residents searched the debris for survivors and firefighters tried to extinguish the flames.

Pakistan: Plane crashes into Karachi neighborhood

Casualties to be confirmed

The plane was carrying 98 people when it crashed in a corwded neighborhood. Officials said there were at least two survivors and it was unknown how many people on the ground were hurt, with at least five houses destroyed.

Author: Rob Turner

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A320 carrying 91 passengers and eight crew crashed into a residential area near the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday.

Ninety-seven people were killed and two survived when flight PK8303 from Lahore came down close to the international airport, the news agency AFP reported, citing the Sindh Health Ministry. Nineteen victims have so far been identified.

One of the survivors was Zafar Masood, the head of the Bank of Punjab. The bank said he had suffered fractures but was "conscious and responding well."

The bodies of the victims were recovered from the crash site, the ministry said.

According to some reports, the plane crash destroyed buildings and also killed several people on the ground.

Despite a local hospital reporting earlier that it had received the bodies of people killed on the ground, no official figure has been given.

Disastrous end to 90-minute flight

The plane had been due to land at Jinnah international airport after a journey that normally takes about 90 minutes.

PIA said air traffic control lost contact with the plane just after 2:30 p.m. (0930 UTC).

The airline has promised a full, independent investigation into the crash.

Pakistan's military tweeted that army helicopters had been deployed to assess the damage and to take part in the rescue effort.

"This is terrible news and a rescue operation is underway. We can share nothing the casualties yet," Abdul Sattar Khokhar, the spokesman for the country's aviation authority told DW. "My thoughts and prayers are with the families."

Police officials said that "many bodies are under debris and it will take time to clear the area." Local health authorities told DW that hospitals in Karachi had been put on standby to deal with the patients.

Graphic footage from crash site

Social media posts by journalists showed footage showing plumes of smoke and flames rising from the site of the crash.

Another tweet appeared to show parts of the plane's fuselage lying in the middle of a street.

Initial reports suggest properties in the area were also damaged.

Witnesses said the plane appeared to attempt to land two or three times before crashing near the airport.

"I was in mosque when I saw the plane," one witness told DW. "Its wheels were open and the tail was on fire. The engine was sounding then it struck three houses and crashed. There was a huge blast a few seconds after the crash."

Khan tweets condolences

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that he was "shocked and saddened" by the crash. He added that he was in touch with PIA's CEO and with rescue and relief teams on the ground.

Pakistan has a chequered military and civilian aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.

In 2016, a PIA jet burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while flying from the remote northern to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.

The crash comes as Pakistanis across the country are preparing to celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, with many traveling back to their homes in cities and villages.